


Apology

by sara_wolfe



Series: Thy Heart In Flowers [4]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Steve Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-06
Updated: 2013-02-06
Packaged: 2017-11-28 09:50:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/673057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sara_wolfe/pseuds/sara_wolfe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve's got a lot of apologizing to do...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Apology

**Author's Note:**

> I know, I know, this one is a day late. I promise, I'm going to get this thing back on track. Also, I fixed a small error in the last chapter, as to the flower that I featured.

"Steve, I think this is a really bad idea."

Steve shot his partner a quick, reassuring smile. "You worry too much, Danno," he replied. "Cover me."

With that, he burst out of their hiding place and ran toward the shooter. He was so focused on the man in front of them with the gun, that he didn't see the threat behind them. Didn't hear Danny's shouted warning. Didn't hear the crack of the gunshot fired toward his back. 

He took out the first shooter, getting the young man down on the ground and cuffed within a minute of leaving his original position. It turned out to be a minute too long. When he turned back, triumphant, all he saw was the pale, unmoving form lying face-down on the sidewalk, footsteps rapidly fading into the distance as the second shooter bolted from the scene. 

"Danny!" 

Sprinting to his partner's side, he gently rolled the other man over onto his back. Danny was unconscious, a knot rapidly forming on his temple where he must have struck his head on the sidewalk, but Steve didn't see any blood. The bullet had been caught by Danny's vest; he was going to be okay. But that didn't stop Steve's hands from shaking as he called for an ambulance, waiting anxiously for the other man to regain consciousness.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chin found Steve standing in the middle of the hospital gift shop, staring at the flower display and feeling utterly lost. 

"I have no idea what I'm doing," he confessed, and Chin nodded, sympathetically, clapping him on the shoulder. 

"Flowers are always a good bet," he suggested, and Steve shot him a sideways look, wondering just how much he knew – or at least suspected. 

"I don't think they make an arrangement that says I'm sorry I got you shot," he finally answered.

"Maybe not," Chin agreed. "But you can."

Steve sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I really screwed up, didn't I?" 

"I think you'll be hearing about this one for a long time," Chin told him. "And if Danny lets you forget, Kono and I will remind you." He gave Steve an inscrutable look, but Steve wasn't about to argue with him. 

He'd gotten his partner shot. Danny had taken a bullet meant for him. Steve knew he was obsessing, but his mind just kept circling around that one, single point. Danny was lying in a hospital bed because of him. Steve had rushed ahead like always, relying on a half-formed plan to get him through, and Danny had paid the price for his impatience.

Forget flowers. He was going to be lucky if Danny ever spoke to him, again. 

"Stop beating yourself up." Chin's voice broke into his thoughts, startling him. "That's our job. Have you been up to see Danny, yet?"

Steve shook his head. "He was still unconscious when the ambulance brought him in, and I got kicked out of the room when the doctor was patching him up. I may have been a little-" He trailed off, but Chin probably had no problem interpreting his unspoken words.

"Danny's got a concussion," Chin told him, after a moment, "and two cracked ribs from getting shot. The doctor said that the vest saved his life, but the shot was close enough to do some damage. So, he'll be out of commission for a while."

Personally, Steve didn't care how long Danny was out of commission, so long as he was going to be all right. Because if Danny wasn't – he veered rapidly away from that train of thought. he didn't want to imagine what could have happened if Danny hadn't been wearing his vest, if the shooter had aimed just a little higher or lower. Didn't want to imagine a world where his failure cost Danny his life. 

"That's good," he said, quietly, and if Chin noticed that his voice was a little hoarse, he didn't say anything. 

"Tulips," he said, instead, and Steve blinked at him in surprise. "Whenever I screwed up with Malia, I would bring her a bouquet of tulips. They were her favorite." 

He walked away, leaving Steve alone in the middle of the gift shop. After a few seconds, Steve opened the refrigerated case in front of him and selected a bound bouquet from the display. He paid, and the cashier gave him a slender vase to put the flowers in, and then Steve slowly made his way up to Danny's room. 

Danny was asleep when Steve entered. The room was empty, meaning that Chin had probably dragged Kono off to give him time alone with Danny, and Steve sat down in the visitor's chair that had been pulled up beside the bed. He put the tulips on the table and settled down to wait for his partner to wake up. 

He had a lot of apologizing to do.


End file.
